Fencing



March 15, 1932. R, SELQUIST 1,849,410

ENCING Filed Feb. l1. 1930 INVENTOR Patented l5, 1932 UNITED STATESPATENT I oEFlcE f ROLF snLQUIsr, or ncxnnsron'r, PENNSYLVANIA,Ass'IeNoB. :no coPrEnwnLn STEEL conm, or GLAssPon'r, PENNSYLVANIA, aconrom'rroN or rENNsYLvANIA meme v application mea February 11, Vraso.serial m. 427,497.

This invention relates to fencing and provides means wherebyelectrolysis between the metal of the fencing proper and the supportstherefor eliminated. c

It is common practice to make fencingof Steel wire and galvanize thesame to prevent rust, and to vanized pipe supports. It is diflicult,however, to et an entirely satisfactory galvaniz ing of t e wirefencing, and a much more satisfactory product, both from the standointof appearance and life, can ,be made om steel wire having a protectivecoating of copper. Such wire is made by pouring molten copper around aheated steel billet,

l and then by a process of rolling and wire drawing, reducing thisbi-metallic billet to wire. From the standpoint of cost, it is stilldesirable to make the fencesupports of galvanized pipe. It has beenfound that where copper-protected fencing is mounted on galvanizedsupports with the fencing in direct Contact with the supports,electrolysis takes place. In the electromotive force series of metals,zinc is 0.770 above hydrogen (zero in the table), whereas copper is0.336 below hydrogen. Electrolysis therefore takes place very readily,the result being that the zinc is vremoved from the support at points ofcontact with the fencing, whereupon the supports begin to rust and leaverust streaks on the supporting poles and stringers.

means which is ef- I provide a connecting f fr the e encing om fectivefor separating t support. Preferably this connecting means 1s in theform of a wire tie having a portion or portions extending -between andseparating the fencing from the supports. The tie may be made of anysuitable material which will inhibit electrolytic action. For example, Ima use a copper-covered steel wire havingy a eavy lead-tin coating. Thevalue of tin in the electromotive force of metals is 0.192 above hdrogen, and-that of lead is 0.148 above hy rogen. The coating 'supportthis fencing onv galof the fencing and the support in the electromotiveforce series o f metals.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the present preferredembodiment of the invention, l

Figure 1 is an elevation of a' portion of a fence showing my inventionFigure 2 is a section tal'ien on the line II-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view the fence poles;v Figure 4 is a similar view showinga tie employed with the stringers;

Figure 5 is a section through the fencing wire; i

Figure 6 is a similar section through the wire comprising the tie;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a button employed in connection withthe tie;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of one form of tie employed with a fencepost of H-beam or similar section; and

Figure 9 is a similar view showing a slightly modified tie.

of a tie employed with prises a support made up of (poles 2 andstringers 3 carrying a dlamon mesh wire fencing 4. The pipe andconnections forming the fence support are galvanized, as indicated at 5in Figure 2, while the fencing 4 is made of copper-covered steel wire(see Fig'-r ure 5) having a steel core 6 and a protective coating 7 ofcopper;

above Stated, electrolysis takes place when fencing-of this character issupported in direct contact with the galvanized poles,l stringers andconnections. r`I therefore employ special ties ofthe form shown in Figaures 3 and 4. Thetieof Fi re 4 comprises a Wire bent to form an eye orloop 8 adapted to receive the fencing, and having portions 9 whichextend around i tie is held in place by placing a button 10 over theends of the extensions 9 and bending the stringers 3. The

' wire in the form of a left-hand ure 6. Each tie comprises clips suchas such extensions backwardly, as indicated at 11 in Figure 2. Ifdesired, fthe button 10 may be dispensed lwith and the ties simplytwisted around the fencev posts or stringers. 1- The wire or loop 8 isformed by bending s iral.v This isfor the reason that in. diamon meshfencing of the type shown in Figure 1, the bights 12 which lie closestto the supports extend and to the left, whereas the bights 13, whic lieoutwardly of the fencing, extend upwardly and to the right.l It isdesirable to attach the ties to the inner bights 12 and where the eye isbent in the form of a left-hand spiral the tie assumes the positionshown at A in Figure 1. The tie of Figure 3 ydiffers from that nf'Figure 4 only in that the loop 8a is in the formof a right-handed spiralso that the same assumes a horizontal position, as indicated at B inFigure 1, and is thus properly positioned for attachment to a upwardl vpost 2.

in cross section in Figa steel core 14 having a heavy lead-tin coating15. The button 10 may be similarly coated to protect it from theelements, or may be galvanized. v

It is frequentlynecessary to use a post of H-beam section, and inapplying my invention to fences havingsuch posts I employ illustrated inFlgures 8 and 9. The clip of Figure 8 consists of a loop 16 of wiresimilar to that shown in Figure 6, having arms 174 and 18. These armslie in the same plane but are spaced a sufficient distance apart topermit of the clip being slipped over the wire of the fencing. vThe arm17 has a fin er 19 bent to fit around one flange of an H- eam, indicatedin dot dash lines at H. The arm 18 has a finger 20 which is bent to theform shown in solid lines in Figure 8 The ties are shown when the clipis supplied to the user, the iinthe case if the loop er being bentaround the flange of the H- am post, 4as indicated in dotted lines, tohold the clipv in place. It will benoted that the loo 16 is'elongated.This becomes necessary cause it is desired that the clips be spaced auniform distance apart, and if the section of the wire fabric does notcome v1n the central plane of the postr the elongated loop accommodatesit; which were of small size as in Figures 3 and 4. With a circularpostthe clip can be turned around the post through a reasonably wideyrange so as to engage thefencing wire. rIhev clip of Figure 9 issimilar to that of Figure 8 except that the loop 16a is connected to thearms 17a and 18a through offsets 21. y

By my invention the copper of the fencing is spaced from the zinc of thesupports, thus would not be".

2. In combination with metal fencing and,

a metal support therefor, the two metals being relatively widelyseparated in the electromotive force series of metals, a tie forconnecting the fencing to the support but having a portion extendingbetweenand separating the fencing and the support.

' 3. In combination with metalfencin and la metal support therefor, thetwo meta being of a character likely to bring about electrolysis if incontact with one another under weathering conditions, connecting meanseffective for separating the fencing from the support.

` 4. In combination with metal fencing and a metal support therefor, thetwo metals being of a character likely to bring about electrolysis if inrcontact with one another underv weathering conditions, connecting meanseffective for separating the fencing from the support, the connectingmeans havin a p0rtion lying between the fencing port and being of a.metal whlch will inhibit electrolytic action.

`5. In combination with metal fencing andl a metal support therefor, thetwo metals being relatively widely se arated in the electromotive forceseries oi) metals, connecting means effective for separating the fencingfrom the support, theconnecting means having its surface portions atleast formed of a metal intermediate the first-mentioned metals in theelectromotive force series of metals'.

6. In combination with metal fencing whose surface portions at least areof copper, and a support therefor whose surface portions at least` areof zinc, a connecting means effective for separating the fencing fromthe support.

7. In combination with metal fencing whose surface portions at least areof copper and a galvanized sup ort therefor, connecting means effectiveor separating the fencing from the support.

8. In combination with a metal support therefor, the surface portions atleast of one of said elements bein copper and the surface portions atleast of te other ofl said elements bein zinc, means for spacing theencing from the suport. p 9. In combination with metal fencin and ametal support, therefor, the two meta beand t e supmetal fencing and aseparating ing relatively widely separated in the electromotive forceseries of metals, means effective for separating the fencing from thesupport.

10. In combination with metal fencing and a metal support therefor, saidelements comprising a least in part metals of a character likely tobring about electrolysis if placed in contact with one another underweathering conditions, a tie effective for separating the fencing andthe support, the tie having a lead coating.

11. In combination with a metal support therefor, prising at least inpart metals of a character likely to bring about electrolysis if placedin contact with one another under weathering conditions, a tieeffect-ive for separating the fencing and the support, the tie having alead-tin coating.

12. In combination with metal fencing and a metal support therefor, thesurface portions at leastI of one of said elements being of copper, andthe other of said elements be ing galvanized, separating means havingsurface portions at least comprising lead.

13. In combination with metal fencing and a metal support therefor, saidelements comprising at least in part metals of a character likely tobring about electrolysis if placed in contact with one another, formaneye which receives an element of the fencing, the wire having portionsextending fromfthe eye around the metal support and effective forholding the fencing in place, the tie separating the fencing and thesupport and having its surface portions at least formed of a metalintermediate the firstmentioned metals in the electromotive force seriesof metals.

said elements com- 14. As a new product, a metal fence comprisingsupporting means having a Surface formed of metal lying above hydrogenin the electromotive series of metals, reticulatedwire means having asurface formed of metal lying below hydrogen in the electromotive seriesof metals, and Wire means tying the reticulated Wire means with thesupporting means, said wire tying means having a surface formed of metallying between said other named metals in the electromotive series ofmetals.

15. In an all-metal fence structure, a metallic tying element having thedouble function of connecting mechanically and separatingelectrolytically the essential components of the structure.

16. In combination with vmetal fencing and a metal support therefor,said elements comprising at least in part metals of a character likelyto bring about electrolysis if placed in contact with one another underweathering conditions, a wire tie bent to form an eye which receives anelement of the fencing, the wire having portions extending from the evearound the metal support and effective a wire tie bent to tendingportions of the wire tie.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ROLF -SELQUIST.

metal fencing and Y

